OXFORD — Superintendent Rick Colpitts told Oxford Hills school board members Monday night that $576,000 still has to be cut from the 2013-14 budget to keep town assessments to a 5 percent increase.

But the number is still only a projection, he said.

“It’s becoming a little clearer as we go along but it’s still muddy,” Colpitts said.

Currently, projected revenues show an increase of $480,937 but the projected expenses are $1,057,000, leaving a gap of $576,063, Colpitts said.

Voters approved a $35.1 million budget, an overall 6.03 percent increase in local assessments, for this fiscal year, which ends June 30.

Following contract negotiations, the salary line item is down from $500,000 to $360,000 for 2013-14. While that is good news, he said the expected shift in payment of $391,000 in Maine State Retirement from the state to SAD 17. There are still uncertainties in health insurance and fuel oil, too, he said.

Colpitts said if the district were to raise the entire amount to bridge the projected budget gap, it would mean an increase of 8.5 percent in assessments to the eight district towns. Paris and Otisfield would see assessments increasing more than 11 percent.

Meeting the Essential Programs and Services funding would also result in increased costs to towns.

Although the district has a waiver for EPS funding until 2014, Colpitts said education has suffered because the district spends less on its pupils than many other municipalities in Maine.

Because of the lack of full compliance with EPS funding, the district has seen a class size increase at all levels. The elementary schools have gone from about 15 students per class five years ago to as much as 28 students in some.

The superintendent said the lack of full EPS funding has also reduced or eliminated programming in foreign language, gifted and talented, literacy and math coaches. The fifth and sixth grades have been restructured, administration has been consolidated at the elementary level, technology investments have been deferred as well as maintenance and bus purchases.

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